Abstract: The global technology competition in 6G field has fully commenced. Analyzing the international collaboration and research trends in this field can provide decision-making references for scientific research planning and policy formulation. Based on the bibliometric analysis method, this study analyzed the international collaboration networks, research hotspots, and development trends in 6G field with 13979 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases (2019—2024) by utilizing VOSviewer software. The results showed that 6G-related publications exhibited rapid growth with China leading globally in research output. As the international collaboration networks expanded, both the number of countries collaborating with China and the total collaboration strength significantly increased, while the collaboration intensity with individual countries varied dynamically. Global research in the 6G field demonstrated diversified development trends, with China showing prominent advantages in key technologies such as reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and terahertz communications. International collaborations in the directions, such as 5G, RIS, and Internet of Things, were notably extensive. Research hotspots focused on high-frequency band communication and 6G system optimization, AI-enabled 6G communication and security, high-efficiency physical layer technologies, and deep reinforcement learning-driven integrated space-air-ground networks, demonstrating notable interdisciplinary convergence. Emerging areas such as integrated sensing and communication, semantic communication, and open radio access networks were expected to become future research priorities. This study suggests that China should further consolidate its research advantages in 6G,enhance high-quality academic output, and strengthen its international competitiveness and technological leadership.

Key words: 6G; International Collaboration; Research Hotspots; Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface; Internet of Things; Integrated Sensing and Communication; Bibliometric